Former Ogun Central senator and daughter of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, Iyabo Obasanjo, has resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC), citing alleged marginalisation, rejection, and unfair treatment by the party leadership in Ogun State.
Iyabo Obasanjo, who recently pursued the APC governorship ticket in Ogun State, announced her resignation in a letter dated May 31 and addressed to the state party chairman, Yemi Sanusi.
The US-based epidemiologist and former lawmaker faulted the process that produced Solomon Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, as the party’s governorship candidate, saying the consensus arrangement did not follow the APC’s established guidelines.
She said that although she had agreed to support any candidate emerging through a consensus process, she was not consulted or involved before Adeola was announced as the party’s preferred candidate.
Iyabo Obasanjo also alleged that some of her supporters were denied access to the venue of the candidate’s unveiling and were intimidated during the process.
Despite her reservations, she said she accepted the outcome in the interest of party unity and publicly congratulated Adeola after his emergence.
She further disclosed that Adeola later met with her supporters and received three demands from them, but she claimed that despite a promise to respond within a week, no feedback had been given after more than two months.
According to her, this reinforced what she described as a pattern of neglect and lack of appreciation within the party.
“I committed myself to supporting any candidate that emerged through a consensus arrangement, but I was not consulted before Senator Adeola was announced. Some of my supporters were denied entry to the venue and intimidated. Nevertheless, I accepted the decision in the interest of unity and congratulated him that same night,” she said.
She added that although Adeola later engaged her supporters and promised to address their concerns, there had been no follow-up response.
Obasanjo said the experience reflected persistent disregard and disrespect, which ultimately influenced her decision to quit the party.
She, however, expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu, the Ogun APC leadership, and other stakeholders for the support she received during her time in the party.
Obasanjo rejoined partisan politics earlier this year when she registered as an APC member in Ward 11, Ibogun, in Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State.
She previously served as Ogun State Commissioner for Health between 2003 and 2007, and later represented Ogun Central Senatorial District in the Senate from 2007 to 2011.
After an unsuccessful re-election bid in 2011, she relocated to the United States and remained largely inactive in politics until late 2025, when her campaign posters began appearing across Ogun State ahead of a possible return to the 2027 governorship race.
She had later declared her ambition to contest the Ogun governorship election under the APC platform before eventually resigning from the party.
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